Boston Parent: Why I’m voting No on 2—and you should too
Boston parent Lisa Martin was determined to keep her son from attending the Boston Public Schools, but now she’s urging parents to vote against Question 2. What changed her mind?
By Lisa MartinMany people have asked me why I am voting no on Question 2. The answer is both simple and complex. I believe that all children are entitled to a quality education, and no child is entitled to a better education at the expense of another. I feel compelled to share my perspective because my son has been a student in both charter and district schools, and I’ve worked in both. I can recall thinking that there was absolutely no way my son would ever attend Boston Public Schools. No matter what it took, I was determined that he would attend a charter, a private school, or attend a suburban school through METCO. I remember racing around with friends to drop off applications at every charter school that admitted kids starting at K1. I attended the lotteries of several schools and prayed that my son was one of the lucky few plucked from a lottery of hundreds of wishful families. It felt hopeless but finally we hit the lottery. I was ecstatic for about 10 seconds. Then I realized that my friend’s son hadn’t been selected. It didn’t seem fair.
I received a call from the charter school on my son’s very first day. On the second day, I was asked by an administrator if anyone had ever evaluated him for ADHD. I was called every day for a week, and by the fourth day I was told to pick my son up because he was disruptive. He had difficulty during transitions. He cried when he wasn’t called on. He spoke out of turn. He was 4 years old. When I asked why it was necessary to keep him home the following day, the response was essentially: *we’re not obligated to teach them until they’re 6, so we’d rather send them home than deal Boston Parent: Why I’m voting No on 2—and you should too – EduShyster:
